Recently, a digital video camera for home use capable of taking a moving image and recording the moving image in the form of digital data is widely used. Such a video camera can play an image signal captured and recorded by the video camera itself, and display the image signal on a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) in the video camera or on an external monitor. Some digital video cameras additionally have a function to record in a recording medium an image signal which is received from another imaging apparatus or image recording apparatus through a communication cable or others. Further, there has been proposed a video camera apparatus having a function to transmit an image signal taken by an imager of the video camera apparatus itself, together with an audio signal taken by an audio collecting portion thereof, to an external device, through a wireless transmitter or others incorporated in the video camera apparatus (disclosed in paragraphs [0013]-[0018], FIG. 1 in JP-A-11-306663, for instance).
On the other hand, in the professional area such as broadcasting, it is common to make a selection among image signals respectively taken by a plurality of video cameras to record the selected image signal. Further, there have been proposed methods for making a selection among image signals such that an object to be imaged is predetermined, and an image in which the object is present is automatically recognized and selected. For instance, there is known an apparatus for automatically controlling monitoring cameras where data on each of a plurality of persons as an object to be imaged and data on a setup of a plurality of cameras, for instance, are registered in a database beforehand, and when any of the persons approaches a restricted area, the small transmitter carried by the person is detected by an antenna so that a search is made in the database in response to a signal indicative of the detection, in order to select a monitoring camera to control based on the result of the search (as disclosed in paragraphs [0014]-[0019] and FIG. 1 in JP-A-9-46694, for instance). A similar selection and control of cameras can be realized by having each of a plurality of persons as an object to be imaged carry a wireless tag. Further, there has been proposed a system for a convention or others where a camera and a microphone are prepared for each of participants so that the camera image signal from which is selected to be recorded is changed in accordance with audio levels of speeches made through the microphones.
With spreading of home-use video cameras, recently it is often the case that each of a plurality of spectators or participants brings a video camera in a venue such as an athletic meet or a wedding ceremony. In such a situation, it is requested that each video camera of a person can use not only an image taken by the video camera itself, but also images taken by the other video cameras of the other persons. However, such a function is not conventionally offered.
Usually, a video camera records audio as well as image. Where the video camera an image signal from which is selected to be recorded is switched among a plurality of video cameras, it is often the case that a viewer feels that upon the switching, innaturality in audio continuity is more undesirable, than shifting in the scene on a screen along with irregularity in the screen due to the shifting. However, there has not been proposed a way to lessen the undesirability felt by the viewer for the unnatural audio continuity upon the switching.
In a case where an image to be recorded in a recording medium is selected among a plurality of images taken, it is preferable that an image wherein a predetermined object is present is automatically recognized and recorded. However, a method in which a person as an object to be imaged should carry a small transmitter, a wireless tag or others, like in the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned publication JP-A-9-46694, needs to introduce a communication system using the small transmitter, wireless tag or others, in addition to means for transmitting and receiving image and audio signals, which leads to increase in the cost and size of the apparatus. Further, the method of switching the camera the image from which is selected based on the audio levels of the speeches made by the object persons to be imaged, is suitable only for particular uses such as in convention, and not versatile.
The present invention has been developed in view of the above-described problems, and therefore it is an object of the invention to provide an imaging apparatus capable of recording an image selected among images taken by a plurality of the imaging apparatuses, respectively.
Another object of the invention is to provide an image recording apparatus capable of recording an image selected among images taken by a plurality of imaging apparatuses, respectively.
Further another object of the invention is to provide an image recording method for an imaging apparatus, according to which an image is selected among images taken by a plurality of the imaging apparatuses, respectively, and the selected image is recorded.